Furniture construction



March 2, 1965 I A. s. WEISS 3,171,690 FURNITURE conswaucwzon Filed Feb. 13, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet l ALBERT 5. WE/ss INVE N TOR in BY 7 MM ATTOQNEVS March 2, 1965 A. s. WEISS 3,1i71,690

F URNITURE CUNSTRUCTIGN Filed Feb. 13, 1962 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ALBE2T .5. Mass INVENTOIZ BY 7%,, rm

ATTORNEYS March 2, 1965 A. s. wens-s FURNITURE comsmucwmm 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 13, 1962 ALBEZT 3. WE/ss INVENTOR.

fifiwvm ATTORHEVS United States Patent Office 3,171,690 Patented Mar. 2, 1965 3,171,690 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Albert S. Weiss, Los Angeles, Qalif. (3466 Loadstone Drive S., Sherman Galts, Calif.) Filed Feb. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 173,068 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-440) This invention has to do with furniture construction and particularly the framework of upholstered furniture of a type wherein the furniture is adapted to be shipped in partially assembled or so-called knocked-down" condition and later assembled at a destination point, either by the local dealer or by the purchaser.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved furniture construction wherein a single article, such as a chair or sofa, for example, is made of a plurality of basic units or subassemblies which can be assembled and secured together by a layman at a point remote from the point of manufacture without any tools or fastening elements.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a furni ture construction of the type indicated wherein the attachment of the legs alone serves to secure together various subassemblies of the unit.

Another object is to provide novel bracket elements for use in assembling various portions of an article of furniture having several basic units.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawings and the following description. Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a typical article of furniture embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded View of the article of FIG. 1 on a reduced scale showing the basic units of the construction;

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view, partially broken away, on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end elevational View on line 44 of FIG. I, but on a larger scale and with parts broken away;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the lower end portion of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 88 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged exploded detail view of the inside rear corner of the seat frame and adjacent portion of the back frame.

More particularly describing the invention, it is contemplated that an article of furniture, which may be a sofa, chair or other seat be made in several basic units or subassemblies designed to be secured together at a destination point rather than where manufactured.

In the particular embodiment shown, the basic units are: a seat frame 11, a back frame 12, and end frames 13A and 13B. In addition, four legs 14 are provided. It is a feature of the invention that the legs serve as a means of securing the end frames to the seat frames after which the back frame can be inserted in place and held by gravity.

In general, seat frame 11, which is shown as of a boxlike nature, is provided with a pair of front brackets 16 and a pair of rear brackets 18 which serve principally as part of the means for securing the end frames 13A, 13B to the seat frame. The latter is also provided with a pair of inner socket members 20 which serve to receive tongue elements of the back frame 12 for the purpose of anchoring it to the seat frame. Additionally, the ends of the back frame are provided with socket members 22 between the two for interlocking the parts.

Referring now in more detail to the specific brackets, the front brackets 16 are disposed upon the end rails 24 of the seat frame closely adjacent the front edge thereof. Each bracket includes a central or main portion 25 which is mounted upon the seat frame rail as by bolts 26 and below this an outwardly projecting flange 27- and which is apertured at 28 for a purpose to be described. The upper part of each bracket is provided with an outwardly disposed step or shelf 30 and beyond this, an upwardly extendin section 31 having an outwardly inclined terminal portion 32 which facilitates assembly as will later be apparent. The front legs 14 are each provided with a threaded stud 34 which is received through the hole in flange 27 of bracket 16 and through a bore 35 in the lower rail 36 of the end frame 13A. A nut 38, which is secured to the rail 36, is engaged by the threaded stud 34 of the leg and it will be apparent that, by securely threading the leg into the nut, the parts will be firmly anchored in the position in which they are shown in the drawings. The not shown comprises an internally threaded body having a disk 39 with barbs 40 and a tubular shank 41. The nut is driven into place to anchor it in the rail 36.

The shelf 30 of bracket 16 accommodates a midrail 42 which extends between the upright front and rear rails 43 and 44, respectively, of the end frames. The midrail is thus firmly seated in the bracket.

At the rear portion of each end rail 24 of the seat frame I provide a bracket in the form of an L-shaped metal strap having a main portion 51 and a flange 52, the main portion being secured by bolts 54 to the seat frame rail. This bracket provides a support for the lower rail 36 of the end frame which is secured by a leg 14 and a nut 38 as described in connection with the bracket 16.

On the inner side of the seat frame end members somewhat forward of the brackets 50, I provide the aforementioned sockets 20. Each of these comprises a bracket 56 having a flat base portion 57 attached to the seat frame end rail 24 by bolts 54 and 58 and an openended tubular socket portion 60 for the reception of a tongue 62 carried by the back frame piece 63. The bracket 56 may also have a cross channel 65 which supports a cross member 66 of the back frame.

The end portion of the tongue 62 is preferably encased on three sides by a metal guard 68 having tapered ends 69 for ease of insertion of the tongue into the socket 60 of the bracket.

For the purpose of further securing the back frame to each of the end or arm frames, I provide each back frame end piece 63 with the aforementioned socket 22. This may consist of a back plate 72 and a forward plate 73 secured thereto which is formed to provide a socket or opening 74 for the reception of a tongue 75 provided on the upper rail 77 of the end frame 13A. The socket 22 is secured to the wooden end member of the back frame by screws 78. Tongue 75 includes a base portion 89 which is attached to rail 77 by screws 81.

It will be apparent from the above that the particular article of furniture can be shipped in disassembled condition and thereby take up but a minimum amount of space, and that the basic parts would consist of the seat frame 11, the back frame 12, and the two end frames 13A and 1313, together with the four legs 14. While in the drawings the various frames have been shown bare, or not upholstered, it is of course contemplated that these members will be upholstered at the factory prior to shipment and it will also be apparent that the various bracket means provided for securing the parts will be accessible to the extent necessary to assemble the parts. 7

The parts are assembled by placing the end frames in position against the seat frame and securing them and then with the legs 14, after which the back frame can be inserted.

Although I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention I contemplate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A socket member for use in securing two parts of a multi-piece article of furniture, comprising a flat, plate-like body adapted to be mounted against a fiat surface of one piece of such multi-piece article of furniture, wall means secured to said body forming an elongated open-ended, tapered socket on one side of said body, and a channel mounted on the outside of the wall means forming said socket, said channel extending normal to the axis of the opening through the socket.

2. In a multi-piece article of furniture, a seat frame having end frame members extending from front to rear, a pair of end frames each including a lower rail extending horizontally from front to rear and a midrail spaced there above and parallel thereto, a pair of brackets on each end member of said seat frame, one of said pair being located adjacent the rear portion of the end member and the other being located adjacent the front portion thereof, said brackets each having a projecting shelf receiving and supporting the lower rail of an end frame, the brackets at the forward portions of the end members of the seat frame having an upper laterally projecting shelf terminating in an upwardly projecting retaining flange, said last mentioned shelf and flange receiving the midrail of the end frame, and legs positioned beneath each of said brackets and extending upwardly therethrough and being detachably secured to the bottom rails of the end frames.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

2. IN A MULTI-PIECE ARTICLE OF FURNITURE, A SEAT FRAME HAVING END FRAME MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM FRONT TO REAR, A PAIR OF END FRAMES EACH INCLUDING A LOWER RAIL EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FROM FRONT TO REAR AND A MIDRAIL SPACED THEREABOVE AND PARALLEL THERETO, A PAIR OF BRACKETS ON EACH END MEMBER OF SAID SEAT FRAME, ONE OF SAID PAIR BEING LOCATED ADJACENT THE REAR PORTION OF THE END MEMBER AND THE OTHER BEING LOCATED ADJACENT THE FRONT PORTION THEREOF, SAID BRACKETS EACH HAVING A PROJECTNG SHELF RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE LOWER RAIL OF AN END FRAME, THE BRACKETS AT THE FORWARD PORTIONS OF THE END MEMBERS OF THE SEAT FRAME HAVING AN UPPER LATERALLY PROJECTING SHELF TERMINATING IN AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING RETAINING FLANGE, SAID LAST MENTIONED SHELF AND FLANGE RECEIVING THE MIDRAIL OF THE END FRAME, AND LEGS POSITIONED BENEATH EACH OF SAID BRACKETS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH AND BEING DETACHABLY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM RAILS OF THE END FRAMES. 